How long will this latest Churchillian speech from Jurgen Klopp hit home? Liverpool are sending messages and warnings all over the place.
Klopp a load of that
‘Jurgen Klopp’s half-time team talk at Ibrox Stadium may become the stuff of Kop folklore should it be a turning point in Liverpool’s troubled campaign,’ writes Chris Bascombe in the Daily Telegraph.
The man himself described it merely as “a positive half-time talk” but no matter because Bascombe is off on his flight of fancy, imagining ‘Klopp using half-time to offer up an image of Erling Haaland gleefully rubbing his hands at the prospect of his pending Anfield visit, or a WhatsApp Group led by Pep Guardiola sending laughing emojis to Manchester City’s coaches and players’.
He probably just told them that this Rangers side had lost 4-0 to Celtic, 4-0 to Ajax and 3-0 to Ajax just last month, Chris.
We’re not entirely convinced that such ‘home truths’ will become the stuff of Kop folklore any time soon.
But that was a phrase that rang a bell. And so back we went to Chris Bascombe’s piece in the aftermath of that 9-0 win over Bournemouth that was the last turning point in Liverpool’s troubled campaign.
‘Evidently, an Anfield crisis is not what it used to be.
‘Any fears that Liverpool’s first three lacklustre Premier League games heralded the beginning of the end of the peak-Jurgen Klopp era were spectacularly vanquished by a club and Premier League equalling record victory over Bournemouth.
‘Whatever home truths Klopp delivered in his midweek state-of-the-nation address to his players following defeat to Manchester United, the message could not have been more emphatically received and acted upon.’
Let’s hope for Liverpool’s sake that these latest ‘home truths’ are retained for more than a fortnight.
It’s a mystery
This headline made us chuckle from the Liverpool Echo:
‘Liverpool’s mysterious season continues as Mohamed Salah fires timely Man City message’
Even if we ignore the fact that – and we cannot stress this enough – scoring goals is not a ‘message’, which is a ‘verbal, written, or recorded communication sent to or left for a recipient who cannot be contacted directly’, then it’s a bloody odd headline.
Noises are mysterious. People disappear in mysterious circumstances. Possibly after contacting a mysterious illness. A girl can be mysterious and you want to get close to her.
You know what is never mysterious? A football season in which a team have struggled in the Premier League but beaten a really sh*t Rangers side twice.
Neville in disguise
Elsewhere on the Echo, ‘Mohamed Salah proves Gary Neville wrong as blunt Kylian Mbappe Liverpool transfer point made’.
Oh, we hadn’t realised that Gary Neville had said that Salah could not score a hat-trick against Rangers.
Of course he didn’t; he said that Mo Salah’s form was worrying. And it’s definitely still worrying even after a hat-trick against Rangers.
Despite being ‘proved wrong’ we think Neville will still sleep tonight (and then get up at 4am to ‘attack the day’ because he is exactly the type).
Consider this a warning
All the pundits are getting involved after that Liverpool response to the Churchillian team-talk at half-time:
‘Gary Lineker has warning for Man City after Liverpool smash Rangers in Champions League’ screams the Express.
What is this ‘warning for Man City’? Not to defend like children or Liverpool will punish them?
Or did he tweet this?
‘Liverpool’s season appears to have finally started.’
They must be absolutely sodding petrified.
Tonight Matthew, I will be…
Manchester United have had a mixed season but the good news – brought to us by the Express, who never knowingly undersell – is that ‘Manchester United are starting to create a better Angel Di Maria ahead of Omonia clash’.
And who is this ‘better Angel Di Maria’ that they are ‘starting to create’ (presumably in a lab)? It’s Antony! Who they ‘created’ by giving a massive amount of money to Ajax for what became the most expensive transfer of the whole summer.
But do you know what’s better than becoming ‘a better Angel Di Maria’? Why it’s becoming the ‘next Alejandro Garnacho’, of course.
‘Man Utd have already found their next Alejandro Garnacho as Erik ten Hag sent message’ – Express.
Well phew. Because we are sure that all Manchester United fans were wondering where the next 18-year-old Argentine winger who could score a last-minute winner v Barrow in the EFL Trophy could come from.
Now we know it’s Kobbie Mainoo, a 17-year-old England central midfielder. Sometimes new versions of players yet to actually achieve anything are disguised as something completely different.
Pundit quote of the day
“I think Steven Gerrard or Xabi Alonso could manage Liverpool, absolutely, yeah. I don’t think either of them have probably done just enough yet to warrant that” – Danny Murphy.
Not quite enough but it’s so, so close.
Hypocritical headline of the day
‘Liverpool ‘have the resources’ to complete astonishing ‘€200m’ deal to sign player Klopp loves’ – F365.
